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We Marched. Now What?

Note: Benedictine College’s Ravens for Life held the March for Life banner to lead the march this year.

Coming back from the March for Life is kind of like coming home after a church retreat. But instead of being on a Jesus high, you’re on a saving babies high. And that is awesome. There is no better time than NOW to be excited about joining the pro-life generation in defending and promoting a greater culture of life here in America.

After being in one city with hundreds of thousands of people who also believe in the sanctity of life, I am encouraged and inspired to continue exposing and being a witness to the beauty of each life. To see so many people who are willing to stand in frigid temperatures? It was incredible. And my college was given the honor of leading the march this year, which made it even more unique and inspiring.

Like all the marches and rallies I’ve been to before, it made me think about why I march. Why is that? It’s because I believe mothers, fathers, children, families, and our society deserve better than abortion. But marching is not enough. We’ve got to harness the excitement we all have about being pro-life right now and channel it into constructive ways to bring the end of abortion closer.

Everyone can get involved in promoting life in one way or another. We’re not called to do everything, but we’re all called to do something. And the time is now.

Here are some ways you can start the end to abortion today:

1. Post about your experience at the March for Life on social media.

Have a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or blogging account? Use them! Tell your friends about how awesome it was to stand up for what you believe in, and be able to answer questions they might respond with.

2. Get educated.

We’re not credible if we don’t know what we’re talking about. Read pro-life books (here are some ideas to get started) and articles. Stay up to date on current life issues too! One way to do that is by signing up for a Google alert daily email to send you headlines about abortion.

3. Get involved with your local pregnancy center.

Are you good with excel, or have mad organization skills? Pregnancy centers are always in need of your help! Try a quick online search or go here to find one near you.

4. Start or get involved with an already existing pro-life ministry at your high school, college, or church.

No matter where you are in your life, there’s some place you could bless with a pro-life ministry. Maybe you’re being called to start an Embrace Grace chapter for moms in your area, or maybe your school needs some help starting a club. There are lots of resources (like Students for Life high school and college!) for you to start a club, so get friends together and start with some of the activities on this list!

5. Get outside your local abortion clinic.

In a recent interview I watched with Abby Johnson (a former Planned Parenthood worker), she said that when people are outside praying the no-show rate for appointments would go up to 75% at her clinic. Now if that isn’t motivation enough, I don’t know what is! Just praying can make a world of difference, or even host a candle light vigil. You can also increase your impact outside clinics by being trained in sidewalk counseling and having a mobile ultrasound unit to offer concrete support to families.

6. Fundraise or host a dr
ive for a local life affirming organization.

The possibilities are endless: a diaper drive, banquet fundraiser, baby shower for new moms, or baby bottle coin collection. One thing you could do is stand outside a local store (like Target or Walmart) and as people walk is ask them to support your organization by purchasing an item on a list you give to them. This is an easy way to get people involved. Just be sure to check with the management of the store so they know what you’re doing.

40 is a great new pro-life film you can bring to your community. Also try hosting October Baby, or going as a group to see Gimme Shelter.

There’s so much more we can do to promote life, and these are just a few ideas (Have more ideas? Share them in the comments!). More than anything, though, I encourage you to be a witness in your everyday life to those around you, because that is more powerful than any sign holding event could be. There’s a quote I read from Madeleine L’Engle recently that goes like this:

“We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.”

Be that light.

This article first appeared at Live Action News and is reprinted with permission.

About Laura Peredo

Laura, a sophomore Business Management major at Benedictine College, joined the pro-life movement a few years ago, and has been actively defending life ever since. In her ‘free time’ she enjoys reading about current life and faith issues, writing about them, and having debates about them. She loves her big family, summertime, Catholic memes, babies, and inspiring stories about people who defy the odds against them. Laura plans to devote the rest of her life to defending life through the work of pregnancy resource centers.